Russia moves to 'reduce VPN usage' with new blocking, fines and fees

Date:
Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:57:34 +0000

Description:
As residents flock to VPNs to keep using Telegram, Russia's Ministry of
Digital Development announced new plans to curb VPN use. Here's all we know.

FULL STORY

Russia has
unveiled a new strategy to prevent citizens from using VPNs to bypass state-mandated blocks, including those impacting the popular messaging app Telegram.

In a letter shared on the state-controlled MAX app originally reported by Reuters the Minister of Digital Development, Maksut Shadaev, said that the government's "task is to reduce VPN usage." Shadaevs announcement also confirmed plans to restrict access to several additional foreign platforms, though the minister did not confirm which services would be affected.

Russian news outlet Kommersant reports that major digital platforms will soon be required to block users identified as using a VPN. Failure to comply could result in a platform being removed from the countrys "whitelist" an official registry of approved websites accessible to the Russian public.

According to Forbes Russia , Shadaev also met with major telecom operators to discuss the introduction of a fee for VPN usage. Specifically, the government is considering a surcharge for users who exceed 15GB of international data
per month.

During these discussions, Shadaev reportedly weighed the possibility of introducing administrative penalties for using circumvention tools, although sources told Forbes the minister expressed hope that such punitive measures could be avoided.

These developments follow news that Apple has removed several custom VPN clients from the Russian App Store at the request of the states media regulator, Roskomnadzor.

As of January 2026, data from Kommersant suggests Roskomnadzor has already restricted more than 400 VPN services in Russia, representing a 70% increase compared to autumn 2025. While the internet in Russia has long been under tight control, the Kremlin has significantly increased control in recent weeks.

Unnamed foreign diplomats in Russia have labelled the events " the great crackdown, " with residents in Moscow and St. Petersburg losing mobile connectivity entirely over the past fortnight, while public Wi-Fi hotspots across both cities have faced severe throttling.

The turning point started with the state's blocking of Telegram . As one of
the final major platforms still operating relatively freely in the country, Telegram boasts an estimated 95 million users in Russia .

This massive reach is why the blocking campaign has drawn unprecedented criticism from a rare coalition of the public, military officials, and even high-ranking politicians, according to reports from the New York Times.

However, Putin shows no signs of backing down. In February 2026, the Russian Parliament passed a law granting the Federal Security Service (FSB) the power to order targeted communications shutdowns at will.

While using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is not yet technically illegal,
the trajectory of the Kremlins digital policy is clear. And with it, the
battle against VPNs looks set to intensify.

Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/russia-moves-to-reduce-vpn- usage-with-new-blocking-fines-and-fees

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Mike Powell wrote to All <=-

Russian news outlet Kommersant reports that major digital platforms
will soon be required to block users identified as using a VPN. Failure
to comply could result in a platform being removed from the countrys "whitelist" an official registry of approved websites accessible to
the Russian public.

"identified"

Good luck with that.



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Russian news outlet Kommersant reports that major digital platforms
will soon be required to block users identified as using a VPN. Failure to comply could result in a platform being removed from the countrys "whitelist" an official registry of approved websites accessible to
the Russian public.

"identified"

Good luck with that.

Yeah, I suspect they will be identified in a similar manner to how other people/organizations are identified in totalitarian regimes.

Mike


* SLMR 2.1a * "I sure smell bad after wearing these leathers." * Troi
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Hello Kurt Weiske!

** On Thursday 02.04.26 - 07:35, Kurt Weiske wrote to Mike Powell:

Mike Powell wrote to All <=-

Russian news outlet Kommersant reports that major digital platforms
will soon be required to block users identified as using a VPN. Failure
to comply could result in a platform being removed from the countrys
"whitelist" an official registry of approved websites accessible to
the Russian public.

"identified"

Good luck with that.

The particular users may not be identified, but an IP address offered by a VPN is public info. So, if the platform can detect IP, it will simply point back to a VPN service, whereupon the platform can then block the attempt to continue.
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: My Westcoast Point (1:153/757.21)

August Abolins wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

"identified"

Good luck with that.

The particular users may not be identified, but an IP address offered
by a VPN is public info. So, if the platform can detect IP, it will simply point back to a VPN service, whereupon the platform can then
block the attempt to continue.

What I meant was that VPN traffic can get much more stealthy. I've seen
a VPN running over DNS, looking like regular name lookups. SSH
tunnel/proxies to VPSes. I'd like to see a VPN provider using multiple
exit nodes, a la TOR.



... Disconnect from desire
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Re: Re: Russia moves to 'reduce V
By: Kurt Weiske to Mike Powell on Thu Apr 02 2026 07:35 am

Mike Powell wrote to All <=-

Russian news outlet Kommersant
reports that major digital
platforms
will soon be required to block
users identified as using a VPN
Failure
to comply could result in a
platform being removed from the
countrys "whitelist" an offici
registry of approved websites
accessible to
the Russian public.

"identified"

Good luck with that.

And lo, linux phones became widely
spread and the users of Tor propagated,
and it was good.


--Just Post, World Is A Fuck!--

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Max Stubbs wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

And lo, linux phones became widely
spread and the users of Tor propagated,
and it was good.

I'm tempted to get a Pixel phone, just for the flexibility of being
able to run a de-googled OS more easily. I would miss having an SD card
slot, though. I use my phone as an "offsite backup" of sorts.



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